This won as the favorite of my New York Times Thanksgiving feast (see blog post Food for Thought). It is so easy, can be made ahead, and pleases all. Serves eight. The NYT attributed this recipe to Minnesota. Sse below for more on that.
2 pounds of seedless grapes (removed from stems and rinsed, about 6 cups)
2 cups sour cream (or creme fraiche)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup toasted pecans (optional)
Heat broiler. Put grapes in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream or creme fraiche and stir with wooden spoon or spatula, making sure all grapes are well coated.
Transfer mixture to a 2-quart ceramic souffle dish or other baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the top. Place dish under broiler as far from heat source as possible and broil until sugar is caramelized and crispy, about 5 minutes. Rotate dish as necessary for even browning. Chill for at least one hour. May be prepared up to 24 hours ahead. Before serving, sprinkle with toasted pecans. (My pecans were toasted and ready, but I forgot to add them. It was still delicious.)
GRAPE SALAD: THE REST OF THE STORY
After publishing this, I received an email from friend Warren in the US.
“Really enjoyed your Thanksgiving blog but perhaps you hadn’t heard the rest of the story: The NYT Minnesota Grape Salad recipe created such a fire storm response on Facebook and all social media that it was a featured item on the NBC Evening News with Brian Williams. Minnesotans vehemently claimed they had never ever eaten or even heard of grape salad. NBC crews went around Minnesota interviewing residents who laughed at the NYT article. The end result was that the NYT printed a retraction and an apology. Apparently, they had been taken in by someone and hadn’t vetted the recipe. It’s not often that a recipe make national news.”
It’s still fabulous no matter where it originated. Do try it!
Tales and Travel 